


Do not play with glass

by KrisL



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Blood, First Aid, Gen, Honey, after the hiatus, author weirdness, dubious packaging, glass, in what universe would this be considered an acceptable story, mild trigger warning for suggestions of self-injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-22
Updated: 2012-05-22
Packaged: 2017-11-05 19:36:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/410230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrisL/pseuds/KrisL
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Convinced that all was well with the world (since the test tube did not seem imminently combustible), John returned to parsing a particularly perplexing sentence in a satirical column and</i> of course <i>that was the moment all hell decided to break loose.</i><br/>Mild trigger warning for suggestions of self-injury.<br/>Beta credits go to <a href="http://sunshineinthetardis.tumblr.com/">Sunshine</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Do not play with glass

It was a peaceful day at 221b (or close enough anyway). John looked up from the newspaper after an unusually long bout of silence to see Sherlock scrutinising a viscous amber liquid in what appeared to be a test tube sealed with wax. On the table in front of him lay a cardboard box lined with bubble wrap. A delivery, then.

Convinced that all was well with the world (since the test tube did not seem imminently combustible), John returned to parsing a particularly perplexing sentence in a satirical column and _of course_ that was the moment all hell decided to break loose.  
There was a soft tinkle, followed by a sharp intake of breath and a soft “oh” from Sherlock. John’s head snapped up to see that Sherlock had managed to crush the glass of the top end of the tube between his thumb and forefinger and, as a result, his left thumb was bleeding freely at quite an alarming rate.

Before John had the chance to issue directives on first aid protocol, Sherlock had transferred the test tube, oozing amber stuff, to his other hand and stuck his thumb into his mouth. John flung his newspaper away and planted himself in front of the patient in need of assistance, exclaiming, “Sherlock!” by way of chiding him.

Needless to say, John was very surprised when Sherlock gave a small hum as he sucked on his thumb, as though relishing the taste. As John tugged the thumb out of his mouth and manhandled him over to the sink, dumping the test tube into the nearest available mug, he asked with a hint of panic, “What did you just put in your mouth?”

“Relax, John,” was the reply, “blood and honey. An interesting combination for the palate.” All John could coherently process while flushing the wound under the tap was, “What sane man enjoys the taste of his own blood?”

The injury was a deep cut across the pad of Sherlock’s thumb and John was glad that the long slender fingers would be aesthetically unaffected – that is, until he clamped down on that thought.  
As John dabbed an alcohol swab (which coloured red immediately) across the cut, Sherlock examined that break in his skin with a detached intensity, muttering to himself, “Wonder how long it’ll take to heal. Any longer and deeper and it would need stitches. Imagine, stitches across the ungual pulp. An idea to try with one of Molly’s, though it would be rather pointless as healing wouldn’t take place. Fascinating, a scab might form, creating a temporary hard ridge. The fingerprint would most certainly be altered.”

Sherlock made a small noise of protest as John wrapped the finger up in a bandage, effectively ending the self-discovery session. He fixed his glasz eyes on John and opened his mouth. John could almost guess what was coming and emphatically fumed, “No, Sherlock, do not play with glass just to see how you heal. I don’t want you to cut an artery while I’m out and… and…”

He could not bring himself to finish the sentence. Sherlock, to his credit, shut his mouth and tried his hardest not to look like he’d just been about to suggest self-injury in the name of science.


End file.
